Volume One, Chapter Eight: The Cunning Empress
At this very moment, within the imperial garden of the royal capital...
The blossoms intertwined like a splendid tapestry, resembling a dazzling gem nestled deep within the palace. Under the bright sunlight, various flowers vied for attention, their colors vivid and radiant, like a magnificent brocade shimmering with brilliance.
Yet, the master of this garden—the most powerful emperor in the realm—had no heart to enjoy the scenery.
The Empress stood before a pavilion, her gaze vacant and fixed upon the flowerbed without a single flicker of movement...
Memories seemed to awaken in that instant!
Back then, she had been a joyful little princess, and her brother Ze was merely the heir of the Li family.
No court intrigues, no political strife, and certainly no battles for power!
They had always been so happy, wandering the mountains and rivers after their morning lessons.
She vaguely recalled that it was also in this very garden where, mischievous as ever, she had climbed the artificial rockery and fallen.
At the crucial moment, it was Brother Ze who lunged forward, using his body as a cushion to soften her fall.
She was unharmed! Yet Li Jize had broken a rib.
The young Empress was overwhelmed with guilt, crying loudly in fright, but Brother Ze endured the pain, taking her hand and smiling reassuringly, “Yanxi, I will protect you!”
Later events proved—
He fulfilled his promise with his very life!
But ironically, the Empress could not hold onto that “betrothal.”
She exhaled heavily, and the phantom images of the young boy and girl by the flowerbed vanished without a trace.
Hands clasped behind her back, the Empress lifted her head to the heavens and muttered to herself, “Alas, I am no longer a princess! Nor can I have only you! I have millions of subjects and the entire realm of Great Qi!”
Clack, clack!
At that moment—
Footsteps echoed as a eunuch donned in a Three Mountains hat, wearing pink-soled boots and a dragon robe, hurried in.
His status was no ordinary one. The surrounding eunuchs and palace maids bowed respectfully and greeted him, “Grand Eunuch Gao!”
Without a word, Grand Eunuch Gao passed through the crowd and approached the pavilion.
Silently, he stood behind the Empress, patiently awaiting her thoughts.
After a long while...
The Empress, hands still behind her, stared at the flowers ahead and asked without turning, “Has the imperial edict arrived?”
Grand Eunuch Gao bowed slightly, wearing a courteous smile, “Your Majesty, the decree has been delivered!”
“And the response?”
“Well...”
Grand Eunuch Gao pondered briefly, still smiling brightly, and reported truthfully, “The royal physician smoothly received Your Majesty’s order, but—”
“What is it?”
The Empress suddenly turned, narrowing her eyes with a voice cold as ice, “Does Li Jize dare to defy the edict?”
Sensing her anger, Grand Eunuch Gao immediately knelt, hastily explaining, “Your Majesty! I went to deliver the decree to the Li family, but did not see Li Jize. His father, Li Jin, accepted it on his behalf.”
“Oh?”
Hearing that Li Jin had accepted it, the Empress’s tone softened.
Sometimes, Li Jin’s acceptance carried more weight than Li Jize’s.
For instance—
During this current “disarmament” operation, it was only with Li Jin’s support that the Empress succeeded so easily.
“Grand Eunuch Gao, you may rise.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty!”
Grand Eunuch Gao stood and bowed, still wearing the radiant smile.
The Empress said nothing, lightly stepping forward with hands behind her back, entering deeper into the garden.
Grand Eunuch Gao followed with a smile...
Their lead was soon followed by a throng of palace maids and eunuchs, trailing behind in a vast procession.
They came to the edge of a pond, where the Empress glanced at the ornamental fish swimming within and asked pointedly, “How is he?”
Most people would be utterly confused by such a sudden question from the emperor.
But not Grand Eunuch Gao—the Empress’s closest attendant who had watched her grow from an innocent child into the cunning, calculating sovereign she was now.
Since her ascension, Gao had risen alongside her, becoming not only the chief eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonies but also the overseer of the Eastern Depot.
Thus...
At the Empress’s simple query, “How is he?” Grand Eunuch Gao immediately picked up the thread.
“Li Jize is a man who cannot distinguish truth from falsehood! If he truly is mad, his actions are still strangely normal. But if he is feigning madness, he spends his days dabbling in bizarre tricks and nonsense.”
Pausing briefly, Grand Eunuch Gao glanced discreetly at the Empress’s expression, noting her unchanging calm. He lowered his head and continued with a smile, “Your Majesty, shall I send someone to probe him further?”
The Empress stared silently at the pond, lost in deep contemplation.
Grand Eunuch Gao patiently waited, smile unwavering.
After a long pause...
“No need! Whether true or feigned, the dignified Supreme General of the Heavenly Strategy and the Prince of Qin of Great Qi would not stoop to such tactics to save himself. Hmph!”
Turning away, the Empress walked on with hands behind her back.
“I have already proclaimed throughout the realm that the Prince of Qin suffered head injuries, and the Northern Liang Wolf Cavalry is now led by Li Jixuan, the younger son of the Li family!”
With these words...
She ceased speaking and calmly entered a narrow path amid the flowers.
Grand Eunuch Gao froze for a moment, then felt a chill down his spine, a bead of cold sweat trickling down.
From the innocent, naïve princess to the shrewd, scheming ruler—her transformation had been breathtakingly swift.
The Empress’s words implied clearly...
It no longer mattered whether Li Jize was truly mad or merely pretending.
For from the moment his mind faltered, she could seize the excuse to strip him of his military command.
Moreover, she had entrusted that power to his younger brother, Li Jixuan.
To outsiders, this appeared as a mere internal transition within the Li family, avoiding the ignominy of “discarding the millstone once the grinding is done.” The military could accept this outcome.
Yet the truth was...
Li Jize was the legitimate eldest son of Li Jin’s lawful wife, Huang Suqiu.
Li Jixuan was the son of a concubine, Chen Anran.
Imagine—Li Jize, mentally unwell, stripped of command, while the clear-minded Li Jixuan was granted military authority by the Empress.
This was a clear signal: Li Jixuan was the true heir of the Li family.
As for Li Jize?
He would be utterly marginalized, erased from the core of power.
Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant.
Li Jize was a towering presence who had once threatened the throne, yet the Empress had managed to strip him of power without inciting chaos.
In any dynasty, such a matter was perilous—one misstep could trigger military rebellion!
But she—
Had skillfully reduced a potential crisis that could have shaken the entire court and Great Qi into a mere internal power shift within the Li family.
Of course, history has proven many times—
An emperor skilled in palace intrigues and power struggles may not truly possess the ability to govern the nation or the times.
Because...
A great calamity had already descended upon Great Qi, drawing ever closer to the Empress herself!